Monday, 6 July 2026

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Inverness Thistle (Scotland)

Inverness Thistle

Inverness Caledonian Thistle were the product of two former football clubs merging, despite the objections of their fans at the time. Inverness Thistles were one of those clubs.

Founded in 1885, Inverness Thistle mainly competed in the Highland Football League, winning the first ever one in 1893.

They went on to win the league a further 7 seven times (8 times in total).

The Jags, as they were known, wore black and red stripes and played their home games at Kingsmill Park. 

The club applied for membership to the Scottish Foorball League in 1973 but was beaten by one vote to Ferranti Thistle, a club now known as Livingston FC. The argument was that clubs didn't think it would be feasible to travel to the Highlands at the time. 

The club did have some success in the Scottish Cup, most notably beating Kilmarnock, 3-0, in the 1984-85 edition. 

It was 1994 when the club decided to apply once again for membership in the Scottish League, however, it was decided that a merger of Inverness Thistle and another club in the city, Caledonian would be a better option, and so Inverness Caledonian Thistle were created and entered into the 3rd Division.

The fans were not happy and rightly so, as their club, one that had been around for 110 years, had played their last game on May 14th, 1994.

Whilst the club came back as an Amatuer club in 2016, they folded yeses later in 2018. There have been talks of another revival in recent years, but we will have to wait and see. 

Could we see Inverness Thistle come back and replace the struggling Inverness Caledonian Thistle and do a full 360? 

Can anyone think of other clubs who have done a full circle and turned back into their original form?